9 unconventional startup lessons I learned the hard way.

1. unconventional
9!
startup lessons

2. There is no shortage of
great startup advice
Joel Spolsky Mark Suster Larry Page
Paul Graham Michael Arrington
Fred Wilson Dave McClure
Brad Feld Seth Godin
Eric Ries
Steve Blank Jason Fried Bill Gates
Guy Kawasaki Reid Hoffman
Dharmesh Shah
Jeff Bezos Ben Horowitz
Drew Houston
Richard Branson
Mark Cuban
David Cohen

3. I am not
qualified!
to give
conventional
advice

4. Me in San Francisco pitching my startup, March, 2013
But I will
share
some
tough!
lessons
I learned

5. 1!
Do not wait for someone
to build your idea for you

6. 1!
If you want to lead a
technology!
company
learn how to build
technology!

7. 2!
Become an
awesome
storyteller!

8. 2!
Tell your story with
words! demos!
videos! images!
passion
*learn photoshop, you are going to need it

9. 3!
Some
things
are not
fair!
deal
with it

10. 3!
“I need money to build a team,
but I need a team to raise money”
“No one will help me”
“He promised to write me a check
then disappeared”
“VCs are mean”
“I am hungry”
“This is really hard”
deal
with it

11. 4!
Your
Klout!
score
doesn’t
mean
sh*t

12. 4!
No one gives a damn
about your personal “brand”
Go build a
great!
company

13. 5!
Raising
money
sucks!

14. 5!
Raising Money is
difficult slow stressful
frustrating time-consuming
exhausting
Finding the right investor is hard
Getting that investor to listen to you is really hard
Getting a check from that investor is insanely!hard

15. 6!
Have no
holes!
in your
game

16. 6!
You cannot hide
from your
deficiencies!
Address them!!

17. 7!
Do not ask!for
someone’s
attention
Take
It!

18. 7!
Do something
amazing!
investors
customers Leave them no choice
but to look at you
recruits

19. 8!
Go
All-In!

20. 8!
No one will take even a
small!chance
on you
if you are not taking a
chance
on yourself
HUGE!

21. 9!
You will get
punched!
in the face

22. 9!
fail!
You only truly
when you
give up!

23. Jamie Bailey
@MrJamieBailey